Wireless communications systems have evolved into a common mode of communicating used by a wide variety of people. One obstacle to the widespread use of wireless technologies is providing full coverage in areas such as steel frame buildings that tend to inhibit the transmission of radio frequency (RF) signals. Inside these tall shiny buildings (TSBs), signals transmitted from wireless base stations outside the TSBs attenuate dramatically and thus significantly impact the ability to communicate with wireless telephones or terminals located in the buildings.
In some buildings, very low power transmitters with antennas are mounted on the ceiling in hallways and conference rooms within the building to distribute RF signals throughout the building or other substantially closed structure or environment. Various systems have been developed to transport the RF signals to the distributed antennas. For example, in some systems, signals are fed from a single point and then split in order to feed the signals to different points in the building. Simultaneous bi-directional RF distribution often involves splitting signals in the forward path (toward the antennas) and combining signals in the reverse path (from the antennas). Currently this can be performed directly at RF frequencies using passive splitters and combiners to feed a coaxial cable distribution network. In other systems, RF signals from a booster or base station are down converted to a lower frequency, and distributed via CAT 5 (LAN) or coaxial cable wiring to remote antenna units. At the remote antenna units, the signal is up converted and transmitted. In another approach, fiber optic cables are used to distribute signals to antennas inside of a building using either analog modulation or digitization of the RF spectrum.
Other systems have been developed that use wireless communication to transport data between computers of a network. These other systems are referred to as wireless local area networks or WLANs. Conventionally, wireless data and wireless telephony have been implemented in separate systems. The merger of wireless data and wireless telephony in a single system poses many issues including transport of signals to and from remote antennas in a substantially enclosed structure.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a system that economically provides for transport of both wireless telephony and wireless data in a substantially enclosed structure or environment.